Make no mistake about it. Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks did create history today. Not only was this the first ever Hell in a Cell match featuring two women, it was also the first time that two women have closed a Pay-Per-View.
The timing was right because this was a match in Sasha’s hometown, and we knew that with the hot crowd in attendance, the women would totally steal the show. Sure, they did put on a great match, but the ultimate outcome honestly left a lot to be desired. Especially after those stunning entrances by the two women.
Here’s what we felt went wrong with the Sasha Banks-Charlotte Flair main event, and why it wasn’t the classic we thought it would be.
#5 We’ve seen this match several times already
Now that the main roster has been split into two, the Women’s Division on both Raw and Smackdown are paper thin. As a consequence, we are forced to see the same matches over and over again on Raw, weekly.
We’ve been seeing variations of the Charlotte-Sasha feud from their NXT days, and off late, since the brand split, they’ve had several matches together. The only difference this time is that they were competing in a ‘Hell in a Cell’.
Also read: WWE Hell in a Cell 2016: Analysing and Grading each match
Considering that Sasha Banks gets a title opportunity because of her rematch clause, we’re not done with them for a while either. While we were reasonably excited about this contest from a historic standpoint, there was absolutely nothing fresh about Charlotte and Sasha inside HIAC.
Before you call us a ‘cuppa haters’, we are still happy for them.
#4 Predictable stretcher spot
This was a great idea the first time it was done. But we see it so often these days, that it has completely lost its sheen. The Charlotte Flair-Sasha Banks match started with a bang, with a brawl on the outside.
When Sasha went through the table, we waited with bated breath for the classic that was unfolding in front of us. And then we went into the stretcher spot yet again. The same one we’ve seen during the Dean Ambrose HIAC match with Seth Rollins two years ago, and with Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 30.
Also read: WWE Monday Night Raw Preview: 31st October 2016
When Sasha got up from her stretcher to enter the cell once again, she completely no sold her injury altogether. Complete lack of experience, which proves that it should have been a while before the women were given this prestigious opportunity.
#3 Rollins-Owens had already stolen the show
With the exception of maybe A.J. Styles, Cesaro and Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins may be the two best workers in the company. Throw in Chris Jericho into the mix, and you are guaranteed a match worthy of main eventing any PPV.
However, the Universal Championship match was smack in the middle of the show, and as we saw with the epic John Cena- A.J. Styles clash at Summerslam, it ruined the rest of the card with just how awesome the match was, in its entirety.
The crowd was spent by the time this match was finished, and as a consequence the following matches suffered. Thankfully, the crowd became almost as hot when the main event commenced; but even these two talented women could not match up to the veteran work capability and skill of Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins.
#2 Mediocre storytelling
Unlike the two Sasha vs Bayley matches from NXT, this match did not have a flow to it. Nor did it have the classic storytelling that well, makes a match memorable. Both the women have a lot of potential, but for what they’re trying to achieve, they are severely lacking in certain departments.
One of them is the art of psychology, like in the classic Flair vs Steamboat matches, where every move meant something, or the finesse of any Bret Hart match, where he works on a certain body part. There were fine spots of course, and the Eddie Guerrero tribute was cool, but overall, something was missing throughout.
#1 The questionable finish
Like Kevin Owens said on Talk is Jericho, nobody remembers an entire match, but everybody remembers moments from the encounter. Andre the Giant vs Hulk Hogan from Wrestlemania 3 wasn’t the best match, but Hogan slaying the giant is a memory few wrestling fans will forget.
WWE had a chance to recreate the magic with Sasha Banks and they missed their chance! And how. It was a hot hometown crowd who wanted their favourite babyface to go over and were disappointed with the eventual outcome. Lack of foresight on WWE’s part?
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